The present invention relates to a technique for treating wood to improve its sonorous properties and more particularly, to a technique for forming the wood shell of a violin to improve the quality of sound produced by a finished violin.
It has long been thought that one of the secrets to successful violin making lies in the careful selection of the wood used for its construction. Many authorities believe that the wood grown in Germany, Austria and Northern Italy has superior tonal qualities which account for the quality of the voilins produced by those considered masters in the art of violin making. One theory is that the wood found in the above noted areas is old wood which is superior to that used by contemporary violin makers. Others believe that the old wood theory is without a sound basis and that the belief in the superior quality of old violins and violins constructed using old wood is somewhat of a myth perpetuated to increase the value of such violins. Whatever the theory, however, it is generally conceded that the wood is one of the most important factors in violin making and much investigation and experimentation has centered on developing techniques to improve the sound in the wood structure of a violin.
By way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 72,877, there is disclosed a method of treating wood used in the construction of a variety of musical instruments in order to improve its sonorous quality. The patent teaches that in the preparation of wood for constructing pianos and violins, it is known to kiln-dry the wood so that it becomes very powerful and delicate in vibration. The patent notes, however, that the effects produced by kiln-drying are only temporary. Accordingly, the patent discloses a soaking and drying process which is alleged to impart an elastic quality to the treated wood, thereby improving the vibratory power in musical instruments.
In other instances, the prior art discourages any specific chemical or heat treatment of the wood. More particularly, one such publication entitled "How to Make Your Own Violin" by Leroy Geiger, published by Ernst Heinrich Roth Company Inc., 1963, clearly states that kiln-dried, baked or otherwise "treated" wood should be avoided in violin construction since such treatment injures the acoustical properties of the wood.
Whatever the beliefs may be, it is clear that the wood is considered to be an important part of violin construction. There is therefore a continuing need for new techniques and processes which improve the sound quality of the wood and violin so that contemporary violins may be considered to have sound qualities similar to that attributed to violins produced by the old masters such as Stradivarius.